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Japanese aquarium ice rink not so hot

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An amusement park in Japan, Space World, thought it had a good idea to incorporate fish into its aquarium ice skating rink to attract more skaters. The idea didn’t work.

Instead, freezing real sea creatures beneath the skating rink surface has been harshly criticized. Many skaters were repulsed by the sight of dead fish beneath the surface, and Space World closed the rink. The general manager at Space World, Toshimi Takeda, says the amusement park wanted to offer visitors a chance “to enjoy ice-skating while learning about various kinds of fish.” He said that the small fish, crabs and shellfish frozen under the skating rink’s ice were already dead when Space World bought them.

Takeda says Space World will thaw and drain the rink and hold a memorial service for the aquatic animals that were used. After that, he says, they will likely turn the dead animals into fertilizer.